Associate Engineer- AI and Agentics

Exelixis Inc; Alameda (CA); On-site; USD 115,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k plan with company contributions

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Life and disability insurance

Flexible spending accounts

Discretionary annual bonus

Stock purchase program

Long-term incentives

Vacation days (15 in first year)

Paid holidays (17)

Sick days (up to 10)

Job summary

Exelixis Inc in Alameda, CA is seeking an Associate Engineer - AI and Agentics to help build foundational AI-enabled applications, prototypes, prompts, tests, and documentation while learning SDLC best practices and responsible AI standards.

You will translate requirements into small software components, scripts, and configurations, assist in AI-assisted development, and support prompt engineering, API integrations, and basic agent workflows.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, AI, Data Science, Software Engineering, or related field.
• Early experience through internships, academic projects, research, or personal portfolio work.
• Portfolio or project demonstrating coding, automation, AI, data, or problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Build AI-enabled prototypes, internal tools, and workflow automations.
• Translate requirements into small software components, scripts, prompts, tests, and configuration changes.
• Support prompt engineering, basic agent workflows, retrieval-assisted use cases, and API integrations.
• Use approved AI-assisted development tools to learn, prototype, document, and improve code with review.
• Write and execute basic unit tests, validation checks, and troubleshooting steps.
• Maintain documentation, including setup notes, design summaries, prompt/spec notes, user instructions, and runbooks.

Skills

Python

JavaScript/TypeScript

Java

Git

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Git

APIs

Cloud platforms

Databases

Notebooks

Job description

SUMMARY/JOB PURPOSE

The Associate Engineer - AI and Agentics is responsible for building foundational AI-enabled applications, prototypes, prompts, tests, documentation, and agentic automations while learning SDLC best practices, security expectations, and responsible AI standards.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

Assist in building simple AI-enabled prototypes, internal tools, and workflow automations.

Translate clearly defined requirements into small software components, scripts, prompts, test cases, and configuration changes.

Support prompt engineering, basic agent workflows, retrieval-assisted use cases, and API integrations.

Use approved AI-assisted development tools, such as coding copilots or agentic coding tools, to learn, prototype, document, and improve code with appropriate review.

Write and execute basic unit tests, validation checks, and troubleshooting steps to confirm expected behavior.

Maintain clear documentation, including setup notes, design summaries, prompt/spec notes, user instructions, and operational runbooks.

Participate in code reviews, demos, testing sessions, backlog discussions, and team learning activities.

Follow company policies for data privacy, information security, access control, compliance, and responsible use of AI.

Performs other duties as assigned Complies with all policies and standards

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

No supervisory responsibilities.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE/KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS & ABILITIES

Education Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Software Engineering, or a related field; or Equivalent combination of education and experience.

Experience Candidates with early experience of software engineering, data science, automation, or related technical work gained through internships, academic projects, research assignments, open-source contributions, hackathons, or personal portfolio work.

Portfolio, GitHub repository, class project, internship deliverable, or capstone project that demonstrates coding, automation, AI, data, or problem-solving skills.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required: Foundational programming ability in Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Java, or a similar language, demonstrated through coursework or projects.

Basic understanding of software development fundamentals, including data structures, APIs, Git, debugging, testing, and documentation.

Introductory knowledge of AI, machine learning, generative AI, LLMs, prompt engineering, or data science concepts through coursework, projects, or self-directed learning.

Ability to learn and apply approved AI-assisted development tools responsibly, with review and coaching from senior team members.

Ability to quickly acquire new knowledge, apply critical thinking, maintain attention to detail, and ask insightful questions to resolve uncertainty in requirements or technical approaches.

Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain work, document decisions, and collaborate with technical and non-technical teammates.

Ability to apply principles of responsible AI, data privacy, information security, and ethical technology practices in day-to-day work.

Preferred: Basic familiarity with cloud platforms, databases, REST APIs, notebooks, or data tools is preferred.

Travel Requirements

Travel Requirements 0% No travel is expected of this position

Location and Salary

#LI-EZ1 Location: Alameda, CA Range for this position: $115,000 - $145,000 The base pay offered will take into account job-related knowledge, skills, experience and internal equity, among other factors.

In addition to the base salary, as part of our Total Rewards program, Exelixis offers comprehensive employee benefits package, including a 401k plan with generous company contributions, group medical, dental and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts. Employees are also eligible for a discretionary annual bonus program, or if field sales staff, a sales-based incentive plan. Exelixis also offers employees the opportunity to purchase company stock, and receive long-term incentives, 15 accrued vacation days in their first year, 17 paid holidays including a company-wide winter shutdown in December, and up to 10 sick days throughout the calendar year.

• 401k plan with generous company contributions
• group medical, dental and vision coverage
• life and disability insurance
• flexible spending accounts
• discretionary annual bonus program
• sales-based incentive plan
• opportunity to purchase company stock
• long-term incentives
• 15 accrued vacation days in their first year
• 17 paid holidays including a company-wide winter shutdown in December
• up to 10 sick days throughout the calendar year

If you have a disability and need an accommodation in relation to the recruiting process, please email us at: [e-mail].

DISCLAIMER: The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to the job. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.

Every Exelixis employee is united in an ambitious cause: to launch innovative medicines that give patients and their families hope for the future. In this pursuit, we know our employees are our most valuable asset. After operating in the challenging biotech sector for 25 years, we have a proven track record of resiliency in the face of adversity. The success of our lead product has provided a solid commercial foundation allowing us to reinvigorate our research efforts, and grow our team in areas such as Drug Discovery, Clinical Development and Commercial. As we expand our global partnerships and further reinvest in R&D to help us discover the next breakthrough for difficult-to-treat cancers, we’re seeking to add talented, dedicated employees to power our mission. Cancer is our cause. Make it yours, too.